Insurance
Updated 22 July 2026
Fees, phone numbers and eligibility change. Always confirm details on the official website before you rely on them.
Overview
Insurance you may need after settling in Victoria falls into three main areas: health cover (Medicare for permanent residents, or private Overseas Visitors Health Cover / Overseas Student Health Cover for temporary visa holders), car insurance (compulsory injury cover is included with your vehicle registration through the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) charge, plus optional cover for damage), and optional home and contents insurance. This guide explains what each cover is and links to official government pages so you can compare and choose. It is general information, not personal advice.
Step by step
Step 1: Work out your health cover situation: if you are a permanent resident (or have applied for permanent residency) check your Medicare eligibility; if you hold a temporary visa arrange the private health cover your visa requires (Overseas Student Health Cover for student visas; Overseas Visitors Health Cover for working visas such as subclass 482 or 485).
Step 2: Compare private health insurance policies on the official privatehealth.gov.au website, checking the waiting periods (most insurers apply a 12 month waiting period for pre-existing conditions) and exactly what is covered.
Step 3: For a car, register your vehicle with VicRoads: your registration fee automatically includes the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) charge, which provides Victoria's compulsory cover for injuries caused by your car.
Step 4: Consider optional car insurance (third party property damage; third party property, fire and theft; or comprehensive), because the TAC charge does NOT cover damage to vehicles or property. Compare policies using Moneysmart.
Step 5: If you own or rent a home, consider home (building) and/or contents insurance to cover your house and belongings; use the Insurance Council of Australia calculators linked from Moneysmart to estimate how much cover you need.
Step 6: Before buying any insurance, compare several policies, read the product disclosure statement, and check the exclusions and the excess you would pay on a claim.
Step 7: If you have a problem with a private health insurer that you cannot resolve directly, contact the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman.
Eligibility & requirements
- Permanent residents (or people who have applied for permanent residency) are generally eligible to apply for Medicare, and can also buy Australian residents' private health insurance.
- Student visa holders are required to hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
- Working visa applicants, including subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage) and subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate), are required to hold Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) that meets their visa requirements.
- Any visa with condition 8501 requires Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC).
- Visitors from countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Malta and Italy) may access some Medicare benefits but should still consider OVHC.
- Anyone who registers a vehicle in Victoria pays the TAC charge as part of registration; light trailers and caravans are exempt from the TAC charge.
Costs
| Item | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| Private health insurance (Medicare / OVHC / OSHC) | Premiums vary by insurer, policy and level of cover, so no set price is published. Compare policies on privatehealth.gov.au. Medicare-eligible permanent residents may not need private cover. |
| Compulsory injury cover (TAC charge, included in vehicle registration) | Included in your annual VicRoads registration fee. The amount depends on your vehicle type and your 'risk zone' (metropolitan, outer metropolitan or rural). Current dollar figures are published on the VicRoads vehicle fees page and change from time to time. |
| Optional car insurance (third party property, fire and theft, or comprehensive) | Optional and not a set fee; premiums vary per person, car and level of cover. Compare policies on Moneysmart. Remember the TAC charge does not cover vehicle or property damage. |
| Home (building) and/or contents insurance | Optional; premiums vary by home, location and level of cover. Use the Insurance Council of Australia calculators (linked from Moneysmart) to estimate the cover you need. |
Key links
- Health insurance for overseas visitors and students (privatehealth.gov.au) (opens the official website)
- Private Health Insurance Ombudsman / privatehealth.gov.au contact us (opens the official website)
- VicRoads vehicle registration and TAC fees (opens the official website)
- Choosing car insurance and the types of cover (Moneysmart) (opens the official website)
- Home and contents insurance (Moneysmart) (opens the official website)
Contacts
- Private Health Insurance Ombudsman / privatehealth.gov.au enquiries: 1300 737 299 (local call cost), 10:00am to 4:00pm Australian Eastern Time, Monday to Friday (read on https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/contactus.htm).
- Private Health Insurance Ombudsman / privatehealth.gov.au enquiries: 1300 737 299 (local call cost), 10:00am to 4:00pm Australian Eastern Time, Monday to Friday (read on https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/contactus.htm).
- Non-English speakers can call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 13 14 50 (free to you) and ask to be connected (read on https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/contactus.htm).
- Non-English speakers can call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 13 14 50 (free to you) and ask to be connected (read on https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/contactus.htm).
- Health insurance complaint you cannot resolve with your insurer: use the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman complaint form at https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/make-a-complaint (read on https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/contactus.htm).
- Health insurance complaint you cannot resolve with your insurer: use the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman complaint form at https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/make-a-complaint (read on https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/contactus.htm).
- VicRoads (vehicle registration, which includes the TAC charge): 13 11 71 for general enquiries about licensing and registration (read on https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/contact-us/call).
- VicRoads (vehicle registration, which includes the TAC charge): 13 11 71 for general enquiries about licensing and registration (read on https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/contact-us/call).
- Transport Accident Commission (TAC): 1300 654 329, phone lines open 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday (read on https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/about-the-tac/contact-us).
- Transport Accident Commission (TAC): 1300 654 329, phone lines open 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday (read on https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/about-the-tac/contact-us).